The Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI) and Partnerships for Native Health are offering a Student Research Training Series and “STEAM” Career Series to undergraduate and graduate students at the UW. Topics include: community-based participatory research, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, EndNote literature searches, authorship, and more! The Student Training and Lecture Series is…

Mention homeless people and words like optimistic, hopeful and happy are typically not what spring to mind. More likely, said Jordan Lewis, an assistant professor in the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, the stereotypes are negative – “that they’re chronic alcoholics, depressed, they steal, they’re thieves. They don’t have hope. They’ve just given…

The Yakama Nation of present-day Washington State has responded to more than a century of historical trauma with a resurgence of grassroots activism and cultural revitalization. This path-breaking ethnography shifts the conversation from one of victimhood to one of ongoing resistance and resilience as a means of healing the soul wounds of settler colonialism. Yakama…

Throughout Winter Quarter 2015, Native Elders will be visiting the School of Social Work from a variety of Native communities to share their stories, knowledge, and expertise.  Please join us to celebrate the grand opening of the Indigenous Elders in Residence Program: Date:  Wednesday, January 21, 2015 Time:  4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Location:  Univ. of…

Congratulations to IWRI Student Assistant Melissa Watkinson, whose paper, “Vulnerable Populations in Climate Crises: Preparedness and Protection through Local Policies,” was published in the UWB Policy Journal 2014: A Cross-Disciplinary Collection of Student Research & Analysis, published by the University of Washington, Bothell! Melissa (Chickasaw and Choctaw) is a Master of Arts candidate in Policy…

As a first year student in the UW Master of Social Work Program in 2007, Glenda Breiler saw a sign for the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute and walked toward it. She was excited to know that other Native people were in the Social Work program and wanted to know what IWRI did. This was early…

Vanishing Languages: The Extinction of the World’s Languages. By Daniel Nettle & Suzanne Romaine. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. The Last Speakers: The Quest to Save the World’s Most Endangered Languages. By K. David Harrison. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2010. Vanishing-VoicesThese two books, published ten years apart, present narratives on how and why 90…

The mission of the Native Youth Enrichment Program’s summer institute is to bring together a cadre of American Indian & Alaska Native elementary and middle school students to explore institutional as well as traditional pathways to health and wellness. The focus of this year’s program was “Lessons of Indigenous Foods & the Environment,” how science…

The Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella, British Columbia, invited indigenous peoples for the Qatuwas “people gathering together” Festival in Bella Bella. The majority were Pacific Northwest tribal members from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska; but there were teams of people from New Zealand and Hawaii, as well. The origins and purpose of Canoe Journey…

In the just recently concluded 2013 – 2014 academic year, IWRI was very fortunate to have had eight hard-working, motivated students work on numerous projects to further both personal academic learning, as well as achieving project goals. IWRI’s Research Training and Education Core hosted weekly Friday training sessions for students throughout the year, with guest…